In this article, we discuss the 10 Best Foreign Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires.
The global economy demonstrated resilience in 2024, maintaining a steady annualized growth rate of 3.2% in the latter half of the year. However, recent economic indicators suggest that global growth may be losing momentum. The OECD forecasts that global growth will be 3.1% in 2025 and 3% in 2026, compared to 3.2% in 2024. The marginal fall in growth is because of rising trade restrictions across economies, strict policy updates that often upend investment opportunities, and uncertain household spending. Although growth in the United States has been very strong as of late, it is expected to slow down to 2.2% this year and 1.6% in 2026. Economic growth will be weak in the Euro Zone as well, with OECD projecting real GDP growth of 1.0% in 2025 and 1.2% in 2026. China follows a similar trend, with growth declining to 4.4% in 2026 from 4.8% in the current year.
In the midst of stagnant global economic forecasts, Michael Hartnett, an analyst at Bank of America, cautioned investors that the United States stock market is coming off its recent highs, and is no longer benefiting from high fiscal spending, lenient immigration policies, and robust AI budgets. The analyst noted that Chinese competitors are now successfully producing large language models for under $6 million, which is a fraction of the billions spent by American firms to create the same tech. Similarly, Manish Kabra of Societe Generale observed that Chinese developments in AI are disrupting investor confidence and making them question spending by American tech firms.
BofA’s Michael Hartnett noted that investors are not paying attention to foreign markets like Japan and Europe, where stocks are cheaper, and value stocks are ahead of their growth counterparts. He pointed out that Japan’s Nikkei 225 has climbed 9% in the past year, while the European index displayed outperformance at the beginning of 2025.
Others also share a similar sentiment about foreign stocks. For example, David Herro, partner and portfolio manager at Harris Associates, joined CNBC on January 15, 2025, and commented that US stocks are largely overvalued, so it is only logical to look for opportunities elsewhere. This is where foreign markets come into play. According to Herro, fundamentals of overseas stocks are okay, and while they may not be robust, these stocks are growing in mid-single digits with attractive valuations. These valuation characteristics make it almost impossible not to consider these foreign stocks and increase international portfolio exposure. He noted that companies based out of Europe are not just doing business there, but their operations are spread worldwide. For cheap valuations, this is a huge plus. For long-term investors, he suggested that they should mainly focus on company fundamentals rather than the macroeconomic environment that they operate in because that’s how you make money. With this outlook in mind, let’s take a look at the best foreign stocks that billionaires own.
A foreign investor glancing across a cluttered desk, looking out a window at the city skyline.
Our Methodology
For this article, we referred to Insider Monkey’s database containing billionaires’ stock picks and chose the top 10 companies headquartered outside the United States that were most popular with billionaire investors in Q4 of 2024. We have also mentioned the value of billionaire holdings for further insight. The stocks are ranked in ascending order based on the number of billionaire investors.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
10. Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP)
Number of Billionaire Investors: 16
Value of Billionaire Holdings: $1.54 billion
Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) is a Canadian commerce company that allows individuals and businesses to start and scale their online retail presence. The Shopify platform is available in more than 175 countries. On March 18, the company announced that it is moving its US stock listing from the NYSE to Nasdaq. Trading on the NYSE ends on Friday, March 28, and begins on Nasdaq on March 31. Its TSX listing under SHOP remains unchanged. With 16 billionaires backing SHOP, it’s among the best foreign stocks to consider buying.
Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) reported strong growth throughout 2024. The company focused on making entrepreneurship more accessible and solidifying Shopify as the go-to platform for businesses. The fourth quarter marked the seventh straight quarter of 25%+ revenue growth (excluding logistics) for Shopify, a 22% free cash flow margin, and a 24% year-over-year GMV increase, which was the highest in three years. For Q1 2025, Shopify expects revenue growth in the mid-20% range, gross profit growth in the low-20% range, $120 million in stock-based compensation, and a mid-teen free cash flow margin.
On March 28, Deutsche Bank analyst Bhavin Shah assigned a Buy rating on Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) and a $150 price target, following insights from ShopTalk Spring 2025. The analyst projects that Shopify will benefit from the growing demand for artificial intelligence, personalization, and unified commerce.
9. CRH plc (NYSE:CRH)
Number of Billionaire Investors: 16
Value of Billionaire Holdings: $2.16 billion
CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) operates in Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and globally. It is a building materials company that supplies construction materials, paving services, aggregates, cement, and ready-mix concrete for infrastructure, commercial, and residential projects. CRH ranks 9th on our list of the best foreign stocks to invest in.
On March 20, Truist Securities assigned a Buy rating to CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) with a $120 price target. Analyst Keith Hughes sees big opportunities in Europe’s construction market, especially with Ukraine’s potential rebuilding efforts and Germany’s stimulus spending. 28% of its revenue is generated from Europe, and this allows CRH’s US investors unique access to the region’s growth.
In Q4 2024, CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) posted a revenue of $8.9 billion and a net income of $0.7 billion. These figures increased by 2% and 24% year-over-year, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA was positively impacted by a favorable pricing mix, operational efficiency, and acquisitions, rising 12% to $1.8 billion. EPS also increased 4% to $1.03. In 2024, CRH made 40 acquisitions worth $5 billion, including a $2.1 billion cement/concrete deal in Texas. It also sold $1.4 billion in assets, mainly European Lime operations.
On February 27, CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) announced a quarterly per share dividend of $0.37, reflecting a 5.7% increase from its last dividend of $0.35. The dividend will be paid on April 16, to shareholders listed by March 14.
